By Hal McCoy
There were four two-run home runs crushed Friday night in Citi Field, accounting for eight of the 10 runs in a wild one involving the Cincinnati Reds and New York Mets.
Unfortunately for the Reds and fortunately for the Mets, the Mets had the last one that provided the Mets with a 6-4 walk-off victory.
That one was hit by New York third baseman Mark Vientos and came in the 10th inning off Justin Wilson that walked it off.
It was the second two-run rip by Vientos as the Mets won their eighth straight and ended Cincinnati’s four-game win streak.
It went like this:
—Vientos hit a two-run homer in the first off Reds starter Fernando Cruz. 2-0 Mets
—Cincinnati’s Elly De La Cruz hit a two-run home run, batting from his weaker right side, off Mets starter Sean Minaea in the third. It was his first home run since August 21 and tied it, 2-2.
And it was the first home run hit off a Mets’ pitcher in six games.
—The Mets didn’t need a home run to score two in the sixth off Brandon Williamson and Buck Farmer. There were two outs and nobody on when Pete Alonso lined one to right.
Jake Fraley made a diving catch near the foul line, but when he hit the ground the ball became dislodged from his glove and Alonso reached second for a double.
Farmer replaced Williams and the Mets stroked three straight singles. Former Red Jose Iglesias batted for former Red Jesse Winker and singled home Alonso. Jose Martinez, 0 for 10, singled home Iglesias. Mets, 4-2.
—Reds center fielder TJ Friedl pulled a two-out, two-run home run off Minaea in the seventh, ending Minaea’s night. Tie game, 4-4.
Minaea entered the game 11-5 with a 3.55 earned run average. He was 3-0 in his previous four starts, giving up nine runs and 12 hits over 27 2/3 innings.
After Minaea departed, three Mets pitchers retired all 10 batters they faced, six via strikeouts.
Besides the two-run homers by De La Cruz and Friedl, the Reds had one other hit, a single by Spencer Steer leading off the second.
And there was an act of Brotherly Love in the ninth innning, baseball variety. The Mets closer is Edwin Diaz and the Reds closer is his brother, Alexis Diaz.
Edwin pitched the top of the ninth and struck out De La Cruz on a 100 miles an hour fastball, struck out Tyler Stephenson and struck out Steer on another 100 miles an hour fastball.
Alexis was not as dominant in the bottom of the ninth, but went 1-2-3 with one strikeout.
Steer, the free runner, never budged from second base in the top of the 10th. Nixing a sacrifice bunt attempt, manager David Bell permitted Ty France to swing away. He was ahead in the count 3-and-0, but Mets’ pitcher Jose Butto got it back to a full count and France grounded to short. Friedl popped to second and Santiago Espinal grounded to short, leaving it at 4-4.
Brandon Nimmo was New York’s free runner in the bottom of the tenth. With first base open, Bell decided not to intentionally walk Vientos to set up a double play, despite his earlier home run and a single.
Perhaps he feared the next batter, Alonso and his 31 home runs. But Alonso has struggled for two seasons against the Reds.
Vientos battled Wilson for eight pitches to a 2-and-2 count, then launched the ninth pitch, a fastball, into the left field seats. 6-4, game over.
The Mets are on a string of 63 straight innings during which they have not been behind in a game.
For the pitch-depleted Reds, it was another Bullpen Day with Cruz starting and pitching only one inning. He struck out three but gave up Vientos’ first two-run homer.
When the Cincinnati Reds have been forced to use a Bullpen Day with a relief pitcher ‘Opener,’ it has not been a banner day.
They are now 2-and-5 on those occasions.